Do YOU eat Eggs?
You Should
Did you know that Eggs supply the “essential” nutrient Choline?
Important for Brain function
Did you know that Eggs supply the most absorbable protein?
One egg contains 6 grams of protein and only 70 calories!!
Did you know that eggs help you lose weight?
Egg eaters vs Bagel eaters – Egg eaters lose more weight
Did you know that egg yolks color come from lutein and zeaxanthin [both are carotenoids]?
Carotenoids reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
The fat in eggs improve lutein and zeaxanthin absorption.
Do you know the nutrients found in eggs?
B12, Vitamins A, E and D are found in egg yolks.
Are YOU unsure if eating EGGS is Ok or even Good for you?
Let’s review what the Experts say…..
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News from Harvard Health
Egg Nutrition and Heart Disease : Eggs aren’t the dietary demons they’re cracked up to be
JULY 2006
Common misconceptions keep many people, especially those worried about heart disease, from eating eggs. The July issue of the Harvard Heart Letter unscrambles the dietary facts and myths about the egg.
Fact: Eggs are a good source of nutrients. One egg contains 6 grams of protein and some healthful unsaturated fats.
Fact: Eggs are also a good source of choline, which has been linked with preserving memory, and lutein and zeaxanthin, which may protect against vision loss.
Fact: Eggs have a lot of cholesterol. The average large egg contains 212 milligrams of cholesterol. As foods go, that’s quite a bit, rivaled only by single servings of liver, shrimp, and duck meat.
Myth: All that cholesterol goes straight to your bloodstream and then into your arteries. Not so. For most people, only a small amount of the cholesterol in food passes into the blood. Saturated and trans fats have much bigger effects on blood cholesterol levels.
Myth: Eating eggs is bad for your heart. The only large study to look at the impact of egg consumption on heart disease—not on cholesterol levels or other intermediaries—found no connection between the two.
In people with diabetes, though, egg-a-day eaters were a bit more likely to have developed heart disease than those who rarely ate eggs.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/egg-nutrition
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From About.com Guide
Eggs Really ARE Incredible!
Egg Nutrition and Cooking By Laura Dolson, Updated March 27, 2009
Excerpts ————–
Eggs have lots of vitamins. They are rich in the B vitamin family, and also contribute vitamins A and D.
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In particular, egg yolks are one of the greatest sources of riboflavin, B12, and choline, which may well not only help developing brains in utero, but protect us from age-related memory loss.
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In the mineral department, eggs are especially rich in selenium.
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Eggs are also abundant in lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids which protect our eyes from macular degeneration, among other benefits.
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And the lutein in eggs seems to be better absorbed than when it comes from vegetable sources.
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Almost all these nutrients are in the yolk of the egg.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/eggs.htm
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From….
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care
Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2012 Mar;15(2):117-21.
Rethinking dietary cholesterol. Fernandez ML.
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA. maria-luz.fernandez@uconn.edu
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The perceived notion that dietary cholesterol is associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) has led to dietary recommendations of no more than 300 mg/day for healthy populations in the USA.
This study will review the recent evidence that challenges the current dietary restrictions regarding cholesterol while it presents some beneficial effects of eggs (an icon for dietary cholesterol) in healthy individuals.
RECENT FINDINGS: The European countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Korea and India among others do not have an upper limit forcholesterol intake in their dietary guidelines.
Further, existing epidemiological data have clearly demonstrated that dietary cholesterol is not correlated with increased risk for CHD.
Although numerous clinical studies have shown that dietary cholesterol challenges may increase plasma LDL cholesterolin certain individuals, who are more sensitive to dietary cholesterol (about one-quarter of the population), HDL cholesterol also rises resulting in the maintenance of the LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio, a key marker of CHD risk.
SUMMARY: The lines of evidence coming from current epidemiological studies and from clinical interventions utilizing different types of cholesterol challenges support the notion that the recommendations limiting dietary cholesterol should be reconsidered.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22037012
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From the Journal of Food & Function – Linking the chemistry and physics of food with health and nutrition
Food Funct. 2010 Nov;1(2):156-60. Epub 2010 Oct 19.
Effects of eggs on plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations. Fernandez ML.
A Few Excerpts…
Extensive research has not clearly established a link between egg consumption and risk for coronary heart disease.
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It is also important to note that 75% of the population experiences a mild increase or no alterations in plasma cholesterol concentrations when challenged with high amounts of dietary cholesterol (normal responders and hypo-responders).
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Egg intake has been shown to promote the formation of large LDL and HDL subclasses in addition to shifting individuals from the LDL pattern B to pattern A, which is less atherogenic.
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We need to acknowledge that diverse healthy populations experience no risk in developing coronary heart disease by increasing their intake of cholesterol but in contrast, they may have multiple beneficial effects by the inclusion of eggs in their regular diet.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21776466
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From the Journal of the American College of Nutrition
The LDL to HDL Cholesterol Ratio as a Valuable Tool to Evaluate Coronary Heart Disease Risk. Fernandez ML and Webb D.
A few Excerpts
What the Numbers Reveal
Studies have looked at the effect of egg consumption on blood cholesterol levels and have found a small impact.
This is important because newer research has identified the LDL:HDL ratio (“good” cholesterol to “bad” cholesterol) and the Total:HDL ratio (the sum of all cholesterol components to “good” cholesterol) to be better indicators of heart disease risk than either indicator alone.
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A review of more than 30 studies published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2008 argues that the LDL:HDL ratio is a much better indicator of heart disease risk than either indicator alone because the ratio reflects the “two-way traffic” of cholesterol entering and leaving the blood system.
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The Journal of Nutrition published a study in 2008 that found that overweight men who ate eggs while on a carbohydrate-restricted diet have a significant increase in their HDL levels (the “good” cholesterol) compared to men who did not eat eggs.
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A 2008 study from the journal Ateriosclerosis, Thrombosis, Vascular Biology found low HDL is associated with poor memory and a decline in memory in middle-aged adults.
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From the Journal of Nutrition
Maintenance of the LDL cholesterol: HDL cholesterol ratio in an elderly population given a dietary cholesterol challenge. Greene CM, et al.
In 2005 researchers at the University of Connecticut found that healthy, elderly adults who ate three eggs a day for one month did not experience an increase to their LDL:HDL ratio or to their Total:HDL ratio, which are two major indicators for heart disease risk.
J Nutr. 2005; 135:2799-2804.
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Take home message……
Eggs are very nutritious and good for you !!
Eggs do contain cholesterol, however eggs do not increase blood cholesterol in a meaningful way.
Eggs actually increase the good cholesterol, HDL , while they raise LDL [bad cholesterol] only slightly.
Your LDL to HDL ratio is more important than Total Cholesterol.
HDL protects the heart – eggs raise HDL numbers.
Eating two eggs per day will improve your hormone levels.
Men who eat two eggs per day have higher testosterone levels.
Eggs are one of the best food sources of choline.
Choline is in the B vitamin family. [part of the B Complex]
Choline is an “essential” nutrient – it must be in the diet.
Acetylcholine is made from choline.
Choline is necessary for Brain function [acetyl-choline]
Acetylcholine is the most common neurotransmitter in the body.
Kids are healthier with adequate dietary choline.
There is a link between acetylcholine and Alzheimer’s disease.
There is a 90% loss of acetylcholine in the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, a major cause of senility.
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Egg Eating Tips
Add cheese to scrambled eggs – I like Mexican shredded cheese
Cook your eggs in butter – never margarine [“Trans-Fats” are BAD]
Boil eggs for the week – For convenience and deliciousness.
If you microwave eggs…..remove from shell.
Eggs will EXPLODE in the shell in the microwave!!!
The “date” on eggs refers to freshness and potency of nutrients, not food safety.
Eat two eggs per day.
If you are active eat more [I eat 4-6 eggs per day].
Eat the YOLK – where the nutrition is primarily located.
Egg whites should NOT be eaten raw.
Raw egg whites will block absorption on Biotin [hair loss, oily hair and fine skin rashes are seen in Biotin deficiency]
Raw egg yolks do not inhibit Biotin absorption.
Raw egg yolks are found in Caesar salad dressing, smoothies, real food protein shakes, mayonnaise , ice cream and egg nog as well as cookie dough.
There is a very small risk of infection from eating raw egg yolks, Do so at your own risk.
[I add 2-3 egg yolks to my morning protein shake]
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And as I always say….
To achieve optimal health we need Full Spectrum Nutrition.
Around 90 nutrients are considered ESSENTIAL.
These nutrients can be divided into 4 groups:
Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids [Protein] and Fats/Oils.
If Optimal Health is the goal, it is virtually impossible to get “everything you need” from foods alone.
To get full spectrum nutrition we ALL need to supplement our diets.
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Supplements to consider:
1) Get a good multiple vitamin/mineral product. Versions with “Chelated” minerals are best.
2) Take a quality Calcium product. Look for MCHA as the calcium source and one that includes Magnesium, vitamin D and some assorted trace minerals.
3) Take Omega 3 oils. Flax oil is the best to start. Adding Krill or fish oil later
4) Find a good Colloidal mineral product for trace minerals. Make sure it’s from Humic shale and NOT ionic minerals. Humic shale is the “fossilized” remains of the dinosaur days. Plant based colloidal minerals are 98% absorbed.
5) Vitamin E is difficult to get in sufficient amounts from foods. I advise people to supplement with at least 400 IU per day. Natural versions are best, look for “d-tocopherol”
6) Try to find a Glucosamine Chondroitin and MSM product [bovine source is best] to protect your joints.
7)) Consider taking extra Vitamin C [products with rose hips also contain the Bioflavonoids from the natural C family]. I prefer capsules over tablets. Chewable versions can mottle teeth – not good.
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